Tuna Salad Cucumber Boats are fun and delicious way to eat tuna salad! Serve these open-faced cucumber “sandwiches” as a snack or a healthy lightened up lunch! They’re easy to make and easier to customize with your favorite veggies and toppings.
These cool cucumber boats pretty. much check all the boxes.
They’re paleo, keto, low-carb, whole30, pescatarian, dairy-free, gluten-free, grain-free, and crazy easy to whip up as part of your make-ahead meal prep shenanigans.
Serve them up as a protein-packed after school snack or throw them together for grab and go lunches for work or school!
Ready to ditch the bread and cucumber it up? Snag the recipe below!
tuna salad cucumber boats
The recipe below makes about 2 cups of veggie-loaded tuna salad. This should be enough for 8 cucumber boats! Feel free to double the measurements if you need a little extra or halve it if you only need 4!
If you get a chance to try these tasty tuna salad cucumber boats, let me know!
Leave some love in the comment form below or tag your photos with @peasandcrayons on Instagram so I can happy dance over your creation!
how do you make cucumber boats?
It’s easy! First grab an English cucumber. Slice off the ends and slice cucumber in half vertically, then in half horizontally. Run a mellon baller or spoon along the center to scoop out the seeds and make some space for your tuna salad. Pile on the tuna salad and dig in!
These tuna salad cucumber boats are super versatile! You an even choose different fillings in place of the tuna! I’m a big fan of filling them with hummus and my Garden Fresh Mediterranean Bruschetta!
I also love turning my sushi Cucumber Rolls into cucumber boats for easy peasy rice-free sushi. The combinations are truly endless. Have fun with it!
Tuna Salad Cucumber Boats
Ingredients
- 2 cans water-packed chunk light or albacore tuna (10 oz total)
- ½ cup chopped celery
- ¼ cup chopped carrot
- 2-4 TBSP chopped kosher dill pickle
- 2-3 TBSP red onion (optional)
- ¼ cup homemade or store-bought mayo
- 1-2 tsp yellow mustard
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 2 English cucumbers
Instructions
- Combine tuna with celery, carrot, pickle, onion, mayo, yellow mustard, salt, and pepper. If you have a go-to tuna salad recipe as well, feel free to use it here! Adjust to taste and feel free to add extra of your favorites mix-ins.
- Slice off the ends of your English cucumbers (also sometimes called hothouse cucumbers) and slice the cucumber in half vertically, then in half horizontally. Run a mellon baller or spoon along the center to scoop out the seeds and make some space for your tuna salad.
- Pile on the tuna salad and dig in!
- Feel free to garnish with a little dill if desired. It makes a great topping!
Notes
Nutrition
special diets and swaps
These scrumptious cucumber boats can be made with any variety of tuna salad, egg salad, chicken salad, turkey salad, or even my beloved chickpea salad filling! YUM!
Questions & Reviews
Something new to try though I’d add a bit of finely chopped hard boiled egg to the mix & cut the mustard unless it’s a dash of spicy brown.
We’ve always made our albacore tuna 2 different ways:
1. Chopped pecans & peeled delicious apples finely chopped & mayo mixed in with the broken up albacore tuna. Served on toasted bread to make sandwiches.
2. Finely chopped celery, onion, dill pickles(not relish) & hard boiled eggs with mayo, a little salt & pepper & pinch of garlic powder. We put it between 2 slices of toasted bread with a light spread of mayo on the bread, a bit of lettuce and thinly sliced tomatoes.
What a great idea! I try to not eat bread, but sometimes it’s hard for salads like this that typically are on bread.
Thanks for sharing!
Thanks Liz!
Such an easy and tasty lunch idea, I love that it’s healthy too!
This is such a great appetizer idea for a party Jenn! And I love how easy and adaptable it is!
Thanks Dini! We love ’em!
Love this idea!
Thanks Debbie! They’re SO flipping tasty!